Everything you need to know about our Automated Scout
- Fotenix Team
- Feb 5
- 4 min read
At a glance
Fotenix’s new automated scouting trolley brings multispectral crop imaging directly into the glasshouse, giving growers a consistent, plant-level view of crop health without installing fixed infrastructure.
Designed to work alongside existing scouting routines, the trolley supports earlier insight, more targeted intervention, and better use of time across complex growing environments.
Scouting without the walking
Over the past decade, growers have invested heavily in systems that deliver greater control over light, climate, irrigation, and nutrition. Yet, even as output has increased, farm business income for horticulture fell by 1% in 2024/25, as rising costs offset those gains.
Labour is still the largest fixed cost for many, and years where labour constraints are severe can reduce potential output by an estimated 5–15% through delayed harvests, downgrades, and unharvested crops. With growers under pressure from every quarter, producing more, growing efficiently, and making the best use of their teams can be the difference between scraping a margin and making a loss.
Fotenix is relied on by growers across the country to provide visibility across the crop. Our multispectral imaging system monitors every plant in every line, giving teams a clear, consistent view of crop health and helping surface issues early so interventions are minimal, quality is maintained, and staff focus their time where it matters most.
And now Fotenix is available to growers who need flexible, mobile scouting. Our newly launched scouting trolley is a robotic platform that brings Fotenix’s imaging system into every glasshouse. Designed to work alongside existing scouting routines, the trolley makes it easier to maintain consistent, high-frequency monitoring across larger or more complex environments.
Sound good? Here’s everything you need to know about our new automated crop scout…
What is the Fotenix scouting trolley?
The trolley is a robotic platform that brings Fotenix’s imaging system directly into the heart of the glasshouse. The platform moves through crop rows to capture 3D multispectral images, giving growers a consistent view of plant health across their environment.
What does the trolley do?
The robotic trolley effectively digitises crop management in glasshouses, enabling growers to spot stress early and helping them get ahead of issues that would otherwise take days to detect.
How does it work?
Fotenix uses 3D spectral imaging to assess the health of individual plants. Cameras and lights are installed directly inside the growing environment — in this case, on the trolley — and scan crops at different wavelengths every evening. These scans create a highly detailed ‘digital twin’ of the canopy, highlighting subtle stress indicators long before they are visible to the human eye and enabling growers to target interventions precisely.
All data collected by the cameras is fed into Fotenix’s ALPHA platform or any compatible glasshouse management system, enabling growers to view heatmaps of stress, track changes over time, and see updated yield forecasts.
How does this differ to Fotenix INDIA?
The imaging system on the trolley is an INDIA, just like our traditional mounted rig. The trolley is the first time the Fotenix system has been mounted on a robotic platform, making the technology more accessible to growers who need flexible, mobile scouting without installing fixed infrastructure.
Why do I even need a scouting trolley?
Fotenix automated crop scout is best suited to growers looking for more frequent visibility of individual crops and improved forecasting accuracy without expanding their scouting teams, or those who are looking to future-proof operations in the face of labour shortages and rising costs.
What are the benefits of a scouting trolley?
Our growers benefit from:
Data-driven crop management: High-frequency scouting via an automated platform provides digital insights growers can use to confidently and quickly make decisions about the growing environment.
Precision and controlled monitoring: Once the system has completed its rounds, it alerts the grower to areas of the crop that need attention. Fotenix typically spots issues up to 80% faster than manual scouting, enabling growers to receive alerts before problems are visible, leading to earlier intervention, improved efficiency, and reduced waste.
Scale up or down: The trolley’s modular design integrates into standardised glasshouse environments, meaning you can easily add or remove trolleys to adjust coverage as labour availability demands.
How long does it take to get the system up and running?
With no fixed infrastructure, the trolley system can be installed relatively quickly. Exact timings depend on your setup; contact info@fotenix.tech for more details.
What crops is the system suited to?
Fotenix is relied on by growers producing a wide variety of crops, and the trolley is no different; it’s designed to be compatible with any glasshouse cropping system.
How does it change day-to-day operations?
The system is designed to complement existing workflows rather than replace them. It enhances decision-making by giving growers a clear visual overview of their farm each morning, helping them prioritise and direct staff to areas that require further manual scouting.
Can the system completely eliminate manual scouting?
The trolley isn’t intended to replace manual scouting. Instead, it complements existing workflows. Fotenix’s automated platform gives growers a clear visual of the greenhouse each morning and highlights specific areas that need attention. This allows teams to react quicker, reduce interventions, and prioritise their time more efficiently.
What data does the system collect?
As with our mounted system, the trolley tracks traits such as shape, colour, Brix and consistency, helping identify issues such as discoloured leaves or spindly growth to ensure produce meets retail standards.
How easy is it to read the data collected by the system?
The data feeds into our visualisation platform ALPHA, which is easy to read and provides heatmaps illustrating zones of crop stress within the glasshouse, among other outputs. It can also be integrated with any compatible glasshouse management system.
When will the scouting trolley be available for commercial use?
We’re currently taking orders for the 2026 season. Growers who are interested in exploring deployment opportunities can contact us now at info@fotenix.tech.
